


The Meaning of Family

by Omi_Smith, ZiquilaLeo



Series: Naruto & Shikamaru As Childhood Friends [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Feels, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Learning Disabilities, Misunderstandings, Nara Shikamaru is a Good Friend, Pre-Naruto Canon Era, Tags May Change, Uzumaki Naruto Being an Idiot, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, Uzumaki Naruto is a Ray of Sunshine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-07 03:35:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18864892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omi_Smith/pseuds/Omi_Smith, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZiquilaLeo/pseuds/ZiquilaLeo
Summary: Naruto embarks on a journey in discovering what it means to have a family with the help of the Naras. Along the way he has a chance to be a kid, experiencing the painful and happy moments that accompany it, thoroughly changing his world, and broadening his perspective oneverything."You're family."Naruto could hear the sound of multiple barriers deep inside of him he hadn't known he had—shatter.





	1. 01 (Unedited)

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Note:** This is one of the main stories of the series _**Naruto & Shikamaru As Childhood Friends**_. The sequel to this depends on whether or not this story is a hit. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Winter this year felt longer than its ever had compared to the years before, even when all the snow melted away in early February. 

Naruto didn’t bother to go to school during the cold season, deciding to come up with the excuse that he’s sick from the cold. Not that he’s ever been sick in his entire life mind, but he’s seen enough snot-nosed brats who were to be able to fake it.

Apparently being sick was like the end of the world, because Jiji had dropped his Hokage duties to personally come check on him. If he had known that being sick was all it would have took for Jiji to visit him more often than the usual twice every month visits for the past four years, he would have been willing to become the most unhealthiest child in the village. 

However, the old man didn’t find out about his sickness until a week had passed in November, when he was a no-show the entire time in the Academy. When he was told Iruka-sensei didn’t know where he lived to check up on him and instead had gone to inform the Hokage, seemingly worried, Naruto’s mind had spluttered.

Nothing made sense when Jiji came to check on him. 

He was thoroughly examined by a Medic Nin; then, he was scolded by the furious unknown man for lying when the truth was discovered, his tone sounding more fearful than scolding.

The thing was Naruto wasn’t lying, _technically_. He was _sick_ at the time. His chest ached, the inside of his body burned, yet his skin was hurting from the cold, his mind was no better when all it could do was replay the image of the She-Demon.

Naruto was sick of fear, of being lonely, of having to continuously put up with villagers’ bullshit when he hadn’t done anything to deserve it! 

His bundle of feelings of righteous anger and no-longer-concealable fear must have been visible through the cracks on his mask, because Jiji had asked him what the villagers did this time. And he’d bitten back a bitter remark, hating how the old man immediately came to the conclusion that he’s sulking because of the villagers—again, and how though he was Hokage, Jiji always easily evaded answering why he was treated so and was never there to save him from it.

He was so angry that not even Jiji was saved from some of his scrutiny. 

It took the situation with Shikamaru for him to come to terms with that, and maybe he didn’t want to go to school because he was _technically_ sick, but the reason being he hadn’t wanted to walk through the snow that now no longer reminded him of a clean slate and instead of a dream far beyond his reach—a nightmare of the She-Demon going to maim him—not because he wanted to avoid having a confrontation with Shikamaru and witness how the boy would treat him now that he knew he was hated by almost everyone in the village. He still has nightmares of her even months after the incident.

He already has his plants to remind him of his unfortunate fallout with the Naras.

Jiji told him he could take a break from school as long as he needed when he realized the blonde wasn’t going to speak of his problem, and that he’ll explain the situation to his senseis at school.

Naruto took full advantage of it, having skipped school for three full months. 

What did it matter? No one in class would miss him. So he stowed away in his apartment, mostly doing some self-training—just because he was skipping school didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be a shinobi—and randomly drawing squiggly lines on all of his school workbooks.

He’d only left the safe confines of his apartment in the dead of night, sneakily shopping at the market that was open twenty-four hours. The cashier usually overcharged him, but otherwise didn’t deny him service since it was late at night and normally empty. Though, he didn’t linger longer than necessary, the fear of what one could to him in the shadow of the dark encouraging him not to.

Thus, leading to his current situation. 

Naruto sighs, appendages spread wide as he laid on his back staring up at his ceiling. Doing nothing but the same training over and over again was boring, and he’d also improvised many times to make it more exciting, but even though he considers himself a self-proclaimed Master Prankster, he’s running out of ideas. 

Soon, he’s going to lose his mind if he stays any longer inside.

So, despite not wanting to be in the presence of the ignorant villagers, Naruto decides to take a stroll through the forest for the afternoon. He keeps far from the crowd, easily evading other people with his years of escaping shinobi he pranked and teachers (except Iruka-sensei, that man always caught him in the end). 

He wonders through the trees, breathing in the fresh scent of dirt and leaves, thoroughly calming himself from his jittery ire. 

He feels stupid for locking himself up in his apartment when he could just train here in the coverage of the trees. 

His enhanced sense of smell picks up a particular scent, and he follows it in curiosity, coming to a stop in front of a bush that produced weird purple flowers, or at least they look like flowers. 

He sniffs it, sneezing at the hard stench of _something_ that could be only toxic. His vision swarms, momentarily thrown off-kilter at the sudden assault of nausea that overtakes him, stilling his movements until it passes, and then sending him into a coughing fit. 

Maybe next time he won’t sniff a flower again, just in case (which later will be ignored in favor of him doing the action multiple times and not learning from experience—his memory isn’t all that good when it comes to the unimportant stuff).

Committing the image of the potentially poisonous flower to memory, Naruto moves onto a couple other ones further ahead. Out of the handful of plants he saw during his little trip, he only brings one home with him. 

Naruto quietly whispers to his new plant on their way home, muttering what name would match the little guy best. He’d been deciding whether or not Lil Twister was appropriate or racists because of the little guy’s twisty appearance, when a very familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. 

_Shit_ , he mentally cursed. He’d let his guard down and now he was paying the price for it. 

“Naruto,” the voice called him again, coming out breathless as the footsteps come to a stop behind him. 

Naruto gets ready to bolt the remaining distance to his apartment when a hand settles on his shoulder, gripping it firmly.

“Wait. You’re not running again,” Shikamaru pants out, sounding more winded than Naruto ever heard the boy who usually slept during class. “I need to talk to you.”

Automatically his mind conjures up the She-Demon, and he shakes his head. “I don’t think we should talk. And I’m kind of busy. Let me go.”

“No. I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.” Shikamaru denies— _easy for him to say_ , but he’s wrong, because Naruto had seen the other boy’s mom’s reaction to his intrusion to her home.

He forcibly shrugs off the hand, his earlier ire returning tenfold and growing from the fear of the Nara’s presence. Surely if Shikamaru was here, than that must mean his parents were as well. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to talk to you.” The words taste like ash in his mouth, burning his throat. 

He’d only taken two steps when Shikamaru scoffed. “You’re going to run away again? Is that all you’re good at? I didn’t take you for a coward, Naruto.”

_That’s it!_

Naruto whirls around, instinctively throwing the plant at the Nara’s face who barely dodges it and clumsily falls onto his bottom. “I’m not a coward you jerk!” He shouts.

Shikamaru’s eyes narrow. “Then, why are you running away? You’re the one being a jerk, assuming things without fully understanding the situation.”

“Excuse me?” Naruto hisses out, almost animalistic enough that the Nara’s eyes widen in shock. “Are you trying to say I’m stupid?! Just because you come from a clan of smart people?!

“I didn’t say that!”

“Did too!”

“Enough!”

Naruto flinches at the harsh tone; the unconcealed anger marring the Nara’s face has his heart sinking in dread. Shikamura picks himself up, somehow looming over the blonde and making him feel so tiny in comparison. 

Shikamaru grabs his hand, forcibly leading him towards an alleyway and away from the small crowd that formed from their loud argument. Naruto doesn’t fight the other boy, his anger snuffing out in the face of the Nara’s own—those cold eyes freezing him. 

They stop a good distance in between the buildings, no signs of noisy people. 

“I’m sorry,” Shikamaru sighs out then. “I didn’t mean to blow up at you like that. You just wouldn’t listen to me.”

Naruto keeps a good distance between them, ready to flee if other kids appear from the shadows and it turns out he was setup. 

“Listen, okay? There’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” Shikamaru begins when he realizes the blonde isn’t going to speak. “When you came to my home, my mom didn’t mean to scare you; earlier that day I ran away when she was in the middle of lecturing me, and so she was continuing from where she left off. She wasn’t mad at you, Naruto, just surprised that you weren’t Choji since I only ever bring him over to my house.”

_What?_

“I knew she would be upset when I returned home, but I thought you wouldn’t have mind since my parents are different because they didn’t mind if I was friends with you. But, I didn’t think you’d freak out, I guess that was my mistake, I’m sorry.”

Naruto could only gape in reply. His mind battling with the image of the she-demon clashing with the words the Nara just stated. “Wait. You mean we could still be friends."

Shikamaru nods, meeting his eyes, the coldness in them melting away to an emotion Naruto can’t decipher. 

Wait. That means he overreacted and the past months of him sulking was for nothing. 

_What. The. F—_

“What?!”


	2. 02

Naruto stares incredulously at Shikamaru, the quietness of the alleyway becoming unbearable from the revelation he just heard. 

_But…! But I remember her running towards me with the wooden spoon! She’d been angry like the rest of the villagers!_

“That’s…” Naruto is at a loss for words, apparently having had misunderstood the situation. “How can that be? I thought moms were supposed to love their kids? Why would she try to beat you with a wooden spoon?” 

Shikamaru rubs the back of his neck. “She still does, Naruto. And she wasn’t going to beat me with a wooden spoon— _probably_. That’s how moms are.” 

“I don’t understand,” Naruto snaps, jerkily motioning his hands to Shikamaru's direction, hoping the Nara would explain it in a more simpler way. He doesn’t want to voice the truth that he doesn’t know anything about family dynamics, a fact which only adds to his personal frustration because of his lacking experience when it comes to familial bonds.

“Does that mean when someone tries to hurt you it means they actually care about you?” He doesn’t like that logic, having been victim to the harsh treatment of the villagers for years—hell, his _entire _life, especially that one traumatic time. Naruto just can’t phantom any of it, and if that really is the way to show one’s love for another, he thinks… He honestly doesn’t know what to think if it’s actually true.__

Nobody speaks for a long moment.

Then, Shikamaru sighs, sounding as if he’s done with the world—like he’s done with the blonde. Naruto steps further away, wondering why the Nara bothers to even try with him. “I don’t know how to explain this to you. I might only confuse you more.” Shikamaru speaks with caution, seemingly wanting to say something else. “You should speak to my dad about it. He’s smarter than me and might be able to explain it better.”

“Why?” Naruto asks suddenly. He doesn’t want to think about meeting the other boy’s parents at the moment. After last time with the She-Demon, he’s still a bit traumatized. “Why do you bother trying? Even after I overreacted, you still want to talk to me. Why?” It’s just confusing as the thought that the She-Demon wasn’t after him, but her own son. Somehow, that’s even worse.

“Because you’re my friend.”

The answer sounds so simple, but its meaning morphs into an invisible blanket that covers Naruto, warming him to his core.

“I didn’t understand you enough, which led to this whole misunderstanding. This problem was my fault. I’m sorry Naruto.”

Naruto shakes his head, willing the waterworks away. “No! It was my fault too. I’m sorry too,” he tries for a bright smile, but it only seems to want to make him cry even more. He scrubs at his eyes, inwardly cursing himself for being such a crybaby. “Sorry! I don’t know why I’m crying! I’m not sad or anything, ya know!”

_I don’t want Shikamaru to think I’m upset at him!_

Shikamaru folds his arms behind his head, facing away, his cheeks are a shade darker than usual. “How troublesome…” he mutters softly; a little louder he says, “I know. I can’t tell for sure what exact emotion you’re feeling, but my guess is you’re probably happy."

 _Happy? You can cry while you’re happy?_ Naruto thinks back to all the times he’s cried. All of them were because he was angry and sad, the times he couldn’t handle the villagers’ animosity towards him. _No, wait._ He remembers that one time after he’d just been kicked out of the orphanage and hadn’t eaten for a couple days and Teuchi-ossan had treated him to a full bowl of ramen for free when everyone else chased him away.

Naruto hadn’t known why he was crying then, either, when he was eating that delicious bowl of ramen. “Oh. I didn’t know that was possible.”

Again, a silence settles over them.

Naruto begins bouncing on the balls of his feet a few seconds later, his body never one to keep still from all the energy he can feel buzzing inside of him when he’s in a good mood. Thankfully, the tears have stopped, but he almost wishes them back instead of this awkward situation. What’s he supposed to do now? He’s still new to this friend thing, and apparently wanting to make a friend happy isn’t all that there is to it. “Sooo…” he drags out. “Sorry about throwing a plant at you?”

Shikamaru turns to him, an eyebrow raised. “Yeah, that. That was kind of shocking. Do you… Do you want to go back and get it? Together?"

“Oh, yeah! My plant!” 

Naruto rushes past the Nara, his heart beating in his chest when his mind comprehends the fact that he had _thrown_ the plant at Shikamaru, and _left it behind_. “I’m coming, Lil Twister!” He runs out of the alleyway, looking in both directions of the street and trying to figure out which direction they’d come from.

“That way,” Shikamaru points towards the end of the street that leads to the forests.

Naruto takes off there, immediately spotting the shriveled plant on the ground not far away. “Lil Twister!” He falls to his knees and cradles the plant, gently smoothing out the wrinkles from its rough treatment. “I’m so sorry, little guy. I shouldn’t have done that to you.” He wouldn’t want someone to throw him away after promising to take care of him, so why wouldn’t a plant want the same?

“Even though I’ve had some training, you’re still faster than me,” Shikamaru pants out once he catches up with him, “and you must really like plants if you name them.”

Naruto gasps in horror at possibly being seen as desperate enough to befriend plants, “It’s not what you think!”

“I’m not going to judge you Naruto,” Shikamaru rolls his eyes but still offers a small smile. “You have your hobbies, and I have mine, which is excessive cloud watching and napping. So I can’t talk.”

"Shikamaru…if I wasn’t holding Lil Twister, I would hug you right now.” Naruto sniffs, his body trembling slightly from restraining himself.

He was right. Shikamaru _is_ different.

Although, there are a lot of differences between them, Shikamaru is willing to understand him, even if it’s highly unlikely he will… Naruto, being an orphan with little to no experience in love, loss, or—most of all—family, couldn’t imagine what it’s like for Shikamaru, who must have tons of experience in all three, and vice versa. But still. Maybe one day they’ll both come to understand each other in some unique way.

Shikamaru coughs into his fist. “Yeah, well, that’s fine. More importantly, will you go back to the Academy? You’ve missed almost a quarter of the school year, and it’s not the same without you. It’s too quiet, and Iruka-sensei has been worried.”

“Iruka-sensei?”

Sure, the Hokage had told him already, but Naruto still found it hard to believe. After all, while the teacher treated him like the rest of his classmates, the man would sometimes stare at Naruto with _those_ eyes. It’s super confusing for him, and thinking about it wouldn’t give him the answer as to _why_ Iruka-sensei still tries despite his dislike towards him. It’s not like they’re friends like Shikamaru and he are.

“I heard,” Naruto mutters, bewilderedly dejected. _Why would I care that Iruka-sensei isn’t different?_ He already has Jiji, Teuchi-ossan, and Shikamaru.

“You did?” Shikamaru sounds surprised. “How? You haven’t been to the Academy for almost three months.”

“Jiji told me,” Naruto answers. At the confused look that forms on the Nara’s face, he adds, “The Hokage. He normally checks on me once in a while to treat me to ramen and see how I’m doing. I call him Jiji.”

Shikamaru stares wide-eye at him. “You call the Hokage ‘ _Jiji_ ’? Is that even allowed? And the strongest ninja in the village treats you to ramen? What’s your relationship with him?”

“He’s my guardian?” Naruto replies slowly, thinking how best to explain this for the other boy to understand. “When I got kicked out of the orphanage, he gave me an apartment all to myself and... What?” He doesn’t like the frown on the Nara’s face. Nor the fact that he can’t read the other boy’s thoughts. “If you’re worried, you don’t have to be; Jiji had some of his shinobi who wore animal masks help me at the beginning.”

Apparently, he shouldn’t have said that because Shikamaru’s jaw slackens, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. “Are you okay?” He asks in concern.

“Naruto, are _you_? They’re the _Anbu_. The Hokage doesn’t have them take care of _just anyone_ , least of all an _orphan_! Anbu are elite shinobi, the best in the village right after the Hokage, _and they took care of you_?” There’s a mixture of incredulous hysteria in the Nara’s voice. 

_Well, when put like that…_ Naruto beams. He knew Jiji cared, but this? Sending the best shinobi under his command to take care of him? Naruto is ecstatic at the revelation!

“Wow! I didn’t think they were really all that! They didn’t talk much but were really nice! I used to try to chase after them to see where they come from! They were all so mysterious, especially Inu!”

He’s going to apologize and thank the Hokage the next time he sees the old man.

“I think we should go to your place and continue this conversation there,” Shikamaru says quietly, taking Naruto’s hand and leading them away from the few whispering civilians walking by them on the street. “I’d like to hear more about it. It sounds interesting."

Naruto grins, happy that he made up with his friend. Plus, he’s always wanted to know a lot of things, and Shikamaru happens to come from a clan full of smart people. Maybe the Nara can help him find the answers to his questions?

He maneuvers Lil Twister to comfortably rest in one arm.

Once they’ve caught up on the three months Naruto wasted for them, perhaps Naruto will ask to go back to the Nara Compound and apologize, even if the thought of facing the She-De—

 _Not She-Demon, she’s Shikamaru’s mom_ , he firmly reminds himself. 

It’s probably his imagination, but he feels like a cloud was lifted from his mind and heart.

As if he can finally glimpse the sun he hasn’t seen until now, taking the form in the appearance of Shikamaru, shining brightly through the thick clouds that have always suffocated him and basking him in feelings he can't name.

Naruto stares at the hand holding his in wonder.

Shikamaru could only be a sun because he’s led Naruto out of the darkness twice now. In his opinion, the thought couldn’t be any more right to him, and he’s going to stick to it since it’s very fitting for the Nara.

 _Ew. I sound almost like one of Sasuke-teme’s fangirls._

His blood suddenly freezes, the image of somebody he actually forgot during his time sulking surfaces to mind.

Cold, onyx eyes staring at him but not for him; a lone boy sitting on the dock with a sad expression and surrounded by an air of melancholy; a back with shoulders that sag from pain and loneliness; the image of the boy similarly living through what Naruto has his entire life. 

Sasuke is possibly the only person able to completely understand Naruto, and Naruto had gone and _forgotten_ about the Uchiha's existence. 

The one individual Naruto has been wanting to reach out to the most, but always decided not to in the end. _Cowardice_ , a voice whispers in the back of his mind, but he ignores it. It's not that he's afraid, he just has a gut feeling that even if he tried, the Teme would continue treating him the way like he always has. 

_Doesn't mean I'm not curious about how the Teme is doing. I'm_ curious— _definitely not worried about Duckbutt._

“Yeah, I would also like to ask you about some things too,” Naruto tells his friend.

“I don’t mind.” However, Shikamaru comes to a stop and turns to him with a blank expression. “But I don’t know where you live. Mind showing the way?”

“Oh! Right!” Naruto changes their position and takes the lead, their hands still linked.

Now that he thinks about it, though their time as friends is still kinda new, their relationship doesn’t feel like the one he has with Sasuke—if there's _any_ between him and the Teme.

Naruto has been chasing after Sasuke-teme’s back in the Academy this entire time, but with Shikamaru? It’s different. He likes his budding relationship with Shikamaru better because he finally feels as if he is equal to someone in this village full of people who always shun him with unjustly scorn. After so many years of the villagers' harsh treatment towards him, he thinks this chance Shikamaru has given him might have been worth the endurance he was forced to endure up until now. 

He and Shikamaru are _equals_.

They’re _friends_.

Naruto isn't alone anymore.

“Shikamaru?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fellow readers, I have found someone willing to edit some of my works! For this series, our dear Omi_Smith really helped out with this chapter, and will most likely continue to do so for the duration of the series! We're both new to this kind of thing, so if updates go slow, it's either because I can't go online, or there may be a few times we're in the process of editing a chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse any grammar, spelling, and other errors. Most ( **ehum** — _all_ — **ehum** ) of my work aren't edited yet.


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